Mesolithic Moellia (Pacifica)

Map of the general areas of the mesolithic cultures of Moellia in 12,000 BCE

Mesolithic Moellia, or Mesolithic Rhayna, encompasses the mesolithic in the Moellia region from the end of the Last Glaciation Period Peak in 22,000 BCE, to the end of the Last Glacial Period in Moellia and the Neolithic Revolution in the current state of Rhayna in 11,700 BCE.

The mesolithic in Moellia is characterized by the massive retreat of human groups from the interior of the region to the increasingly bigger rivers and the basin of Lake Kryo, due to the raising temperatures and change of climate as the region enters into the Holocene interglacial period. It is theorized that the pressure of the raising population density, scarcity of vegetation and retreat of large mammals to the south out of the region triggered the development of microlithic technology, proto-cultures, and a change of life-style into hunter-gatherers.

Most mesolithic sites are found near water sources, although with a farther range than zones nowadays deserted, and although some of them present signs of pottery and textiles in the middle of the mesolithic, specially in the Southwestern Lithic Complex and the Tipo Valley Sphere, most settlements do not develop these technologies until the end of the mesolithic and the start of the Neolithic Revolution.

Cultures

Geographical range	Culture	Temporal range	Notable sites/artifacts	Wider region
Kaly Thea Island	Kalythean	22,000-11,700 BCE	Maka's Cave
Mount Atzali/Northwestern Continental Moellia (Rhayna)	Late Dymassian	22,000-11,700 BCE	Safi Stone Paintings
Katharistis Basin	Pylyn	22,000-11,700 BCE	Lizeta Kepanta (arrow heads)
Imisy Basin	Nodosian	22,000-11,700 BCE	Monera stance (figurine)	Southwestern Lithic Complex
Western Continental Moellia (Rhayna)	Assaizi	21,000-11,700 BCE	Kameα (mortar)	Southwestern Lithic Complex
Northern Kryo Basin	Western Mesarian	20,000-11,700 BCE	Koryfi (pottery)	Southwestern Lithic Complex
Southern Kryo Basin	Leproinian	20,000-11,700 BCE	Tomonia (settlement)	Southwestern Lithic Complex
Northern Moellia (Alla-gy)	North Mountainous Culture	16,000-8,500 BCE
Apoala Basin	Kleise	20,000-9,600 BCE
Southern Moellia (Alla-gy)	Magnakean	21,000-11,700 BCE	(sculpture)
Western Tipo Valley	Pavleronian	22,000-11,700 BCE	(pottery)	Tipo Valley Sphere
Eastern Bensea Basin	Bensean Paleolithic	22,000-11,700 BCE	(pendant)	Tipo Valley Sphere
Eastern Moellia (Nea-gy)	Late Pitanian	22,000-11,700 BCE	(weaving)	Tipo Valley Sphere
Mesaia Basin and Southwestern Mikos Basin	Mesaia Riverbed Culture	22,000-11,700 BCE		Tipo Valley Sphere
Southeastern Mikos Basin	Mikosian	22,000-11,700 BCE		Tipo Valley Sphere
Chamilos Basin	Tanensian	22,000-11,700 BCE

Progression

The mesolithic in Moellia starts around 22,000 years ago with the end of the Last Glaciation Period Peak in the north of Rhayna and Nea-gy, and ends in around 11,700 BCE with the arrival of agriculture. Meanwhile, it arrives lastly to the north of Alla-gy in 16,000 BCE, and it ends in around 8,500 BCE. The end of the Last Glaciation Period Peak left little time for humans in the region to adapt as the fertile lands receded, which translated into a quick adoption of a neolithic lifestyle once agriculture was developed. The end of the Last Glaciation Period Peak also forced the once sparse populations of humans to concentrate around water sources, which is probable that it kickstarted the formation of protocultures and conflicts between groups.

The lithic technology in the mesolithic is characteristic of the period, showing in the archaeological record a widespread use of microlithic technology, except for the places where the mesolithic arrived last, like the north of Alla-gy, where macrolithic technology was still used even after the arrival of the mesolithic to the zone. At the end of the mesolithic, microlithic technology was replaced by macrolithic technology, with polished stone tools.

The mesolithic also presents small constructions made with astronomical or ritual significance, specially around the large rivers of the region, which could have served to predict floods and offer sacrifices.

Some genetic analyses of seeds found in archaeological sites show that some humans could have ventured outside the region past the mountain ranges and come back with non-native foods, which then naturalized into the basins of the rivers and lakes.

As the neolithic lifestyle spread through Moellia, the mesolithic lifestyle fell out of favour. Quickly enough, the humans of the region started cultivating in the riverbeds after each seasonal flood, formed permanent and sedentary communities around their crops, and herded animals to the mountains where the grass grew. Some populations rejected the neolithic and became nomads, who would travel the desert and raid farming communities, but with time, these communities would disappear and integrate as the sedentary populations grew larger and the climate became more relentless, although they would continue to exist past the invention of writing.